Tasiilaq is the largest town on the east coast of Greenland, and the main base for exploring a region that most visitors to Greenland never see. Also known by its older name, Ammassalik — meaning "the place with capelin" — the town sits just south of the Arctic Circle in a sheltered fjord with a narrow sea entrance, ringed by steep mountains. Arriving by helicopter, the first view is of brightly-coloured houses clinging to the mountainsides above the fjord: one of the more dramatic introductions to any town on earth.
East Greenland receives a fraction of the visitors that the west coast does, and the difference shows. The landscape is rawer, the hunting culture more intact, and the sense of isolation genuine. The region around Tasiilaq is excellent for hiking in summer and ski touring and dog sledding in spring, with routes across sea ice and up onto the icecap available through local guides. The Ammassalik Museum gives a good account of traditional Inuit life and the history of Danish contact.
Getting here requires a little planning. Air Greenland runs helicopters from Kulusuk airport, which in turn has direct summer flights from Reykjavik on Icelandair. The journey from Europe is easier than it sounds, and the remoteness is exactly the point.